System and method for conducting and playing a supplemental lottery game

ABSTRACT

A system and method is provided by which players participating in a primary lottery drawing may elect to participate in a second, or derivative lottery drawing (a “meta-game”). In one embodiment, a meta-game is conducted by first registering a plurality of lottery entries to define a group. The group wins an award in the meta-game if the plurality of lottery entries of the group fail to win an award above a predetermined threshold in the primary lottery drawing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to lotteries, and moreparticularly to a lottery involving a secondary or supplemental game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Lotteries have proven to be powerful and lucrative revenue generatingmechanisms. In the United States, a majority of states now conductgovernment-sponsored lotteries which may offer daily and/or weeklyjackpots ranging from hundreds to millions of dollars. These lotteriesprovide a steady source of income for the state to use, for example, tofund state educational systems or provide capital for improvements tothe state's infrastructure. Recently, many states have partnered to formmulti-state lotteries which typically provide even larger jackpots dueto the increased number of participants in each lottery.

In a typical operation, a lottery is operated by a central authoritywith a government-licensed sponsor providing much of the equipment andsupport necessary to establish, market, and run the operation. Such acentral authority typically maintains one or more centralized operationsfor receiving and processing lottery entries, the entries themselvesbeing sold at remote authorized lottery outlets or terminals.

The purchase of a lottery entry typically requires a visit to anauthorized lottery outlet (e.g., in person, over the telephone, or viathe Internet), where the process varies depending on the type of game tobe played. In a typical Lotto-style lottery game, a player selects oneor more numbers, the exact format, quantity and ordinal value range ofthe numbers being dependent on the type of game. In a “6/49” game, forexample, six numbers are selected, each in the range from one toforty-nine. Each set of six numbers entered in a lottery drawing isreferred to as an “entry.” The numbers of the entry may be selectedindividually by the purchaser. Alternatively, many lottery authoritiesoffer a “quick-pick” option whereby, upon request by the purchaser, arandom number generator controlled by the lottery authority is used toselect the numbers of the entry. In either case, the actual entryrequest is typically made through the completion of a sense mark form,or “bet slip,” which is a machine-readable paper form having check boxesthat are filled in by the purchaser or lottery agent and read by thelottery terminal. The lottery terminal typically prints a lottery“ticket” or receipt which lists each of the numbers of an entry selectedby or picked for a player. The lottery ticket also typically includes adrawing identifier indicating which lottery drawing the entries areentered in. This drawing identifier is typically a drawing date, but mayalso be, for example, a unique number identifying a particular drawing.

As an illustrative example, if a player purchases five “quick-pick”entries in a 6/49 Lotto drawing to be held on Dec. 31, 1999, the lotteryterminal first randomly selects five sets of six numbers (five different“entries”) and then prints a ticket listing the five drawing entries ofsix numbers. The ticket will also typically include some form of drawingidentifier such as, for example, the date of the drawing (in thisexample, Dec. 31, 1999). The player will retain the ticket or receiptuntil the drawing occurs as proof of entry in the drawing. Informationregarding each entry is read by the lottery terminal and transmitted toa central lottery authority which keeps track of all entries in eachlottery drawing. Each lottery entry is typically valid for one lotterydrawing.

In a typical 6/49 Lotto-style lottery drawing, an entry “wins” an awardin the drawing if at least three of the entry numbers match three of thenumbers drawn in the lottery drawing. The amount of money won increasesdramatically as more numbers are matched. An entry “loses” if, e.g.,fewer than three numbers of the entry match the numbers drawn in thelottery drawing. No money is paid to the player for a “losing” lotterydrawing entry.

For a further description of Lotto-style lottery games, including the6/49 game, reference is made to Dr. Z's 6/49 Lotto Guidebook, by Ziemba,Dr. William T., et al., published 1986 by Dr. Z Investments, Inc., ISBN0-9690097-2-2, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

While lotteries have enjoyed great success in the United States andaround the world, many potential players are still discouraged fromparticipating because the odds of winning are small. For example, in atypical 6/49 Lotto-style drawing where six numbers are picked randomlyfrom a pool of forty-nine numbers, the odds against a player matchingall six numbers in one entry is in excess of 13,000,000 to one. It is inthe face of these daunting and staggering odds that many potentiallottery participants are discouraged from playing more frequently orfrom ever participating.

Furthermore, the growing popularity of multi-state lotteries has luredplayers away from single-state lotteries, thereby lowering the revenuestreams to these individual states. Thus, in an effort to combatincreased competition in the lottery marketplace and bolster saggingconsumer interest in the lottery, many lottery organizations have begunoffering secondary lottery games associated with their lottery drawings.The secondary drawings give players a “second chance” at winning shouldthe players lose in the lottery drawing. For example, some of theselotteries allow players to mail in their losing entries for a chance ina secondary drawing. The secondary drawing is essentially a “consolationround” drawing where the losers from the lottery drawing are givenanother chance to win a prize. Typically, in this “consolation round”drawing, the losing entries are all pooled together and one or morelosing entries are drawn randomly from the pool.

Unfortunately, these secondary lottery games do not provide the playerwith any instant gratification since the player still has to wait forthe secondary lottery drawing to occur. Further, these secondary gamessuffer in that the player has a chance of losing twice—once in theprimary drawing and once in the secondary drawing. A player's risk oflosing in the secondary drawing are similar to the player's risk oflosing in the primary drawing. Because of this risk, many players arediscouraged from participating in the secondary drawing.

It is therefore desirable to provide a supplementary lottery game, or“meta-game,” in which a player can be guaranteed to win an award if theplayer fails to qualify for an award in the primary lottery game,thereby increasing participation in the lottery and providing morerevenue to the organization conducting the lottery. Preferably, thismeta-game provides players with instant gratification by letting themknow if they have won or lost the meta-game as soon as the primarylottery game is completed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method bywhich players participating in a primary lottery drawing may elect toparticipate in a second, or derivative lottery drawing (hereinafter a“meta-game”). In one embodiment, a player plays a meta-game by firstregistering one or more primary lottery drawing entries to define agroup. The player qualifies for an award in the meta-game if the primarylottery drawing entries of the group fail to win an award above apredetermined threshold in the primary lottery drawing.

In one embodiment of the invention, a player registers a group ofprimary lottery drawing entries for participation in a meta-game inconjunction with the purchase of entries in the primary lottery drawing.The registration and purchase are performed at a terminal which may be,for example, a lottery terminal which is in communication with acontroller. Identifying information associated with each of the entriesfor the primary lottery drawing is used to register the group for themeta-game. The player also provides or arranges for some form of paymentfor the entry.

In another embodiment of the invention, registration for the meta-gameis performed after purchase of entries in the primary lottery drawing.The player may register a group of primary lottery drawing entries for ameta-game by establishing communication with a controller, for example,using a computer to connect to the controller to register and pay forregistration in the meta-game. As a part of the registration process,the player may be asked to provide registration information or theinformation may be automatically detected by the system. After receivingregistration information and payment, the controller registers the groupof primary lottery drawing entries for the meta-game and issues aconfirmation to the player indicating registration in the meta-game.

The present invention gives players the chance to win an award forplaying the meta-game. If a player has properly registered a group ofprimary lottery drawing entries for a meta-game, he or she will win ameta-game award if the registered lottery drawing entries lose in theprimary lottery drawing. In one embodiment, a player is eligible forgreater rewards if he or she registers a large group of primary lotterydrawing entries in a meta-game. In an alternative embodiment, a groupmay win an award in the meta-game even if the group's entries won anaward in the primary lottery drawing so long as the award is below acertain threshold.

These and other advantages and features of the present invention willbecome apparent, and the nature of the invention may be more clearlyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description of theinvention, the claims, and the drawings appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system consistent with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the controllerdepicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of aprice/award database for use in the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of aregistration database for use in the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of a playerinformation database for use in the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of a winningnumbers database for use in the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a set of steps for operating ameta-game;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a set of steps for registering agroup of primary lottery drawing entries for a meta-game;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another set of steps for registeringa group of primary lottery drawing entries for a meta-game;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a set of steps for performing anaward analysis; and

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a set of steps for providing ameta-game award.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of a meta-game system and method in accordance with thepresent invention will now be described with reference to the attacheddrawings. Generally, embodiments of the present invention allow lotteryplayers to register a group of one or more primary lottery drawingentries in a secondary game (the “meta-game”). As used herein, the term“primary lottery drawing” is used in a general sense and is intended toinclude any drawing, lottery or casino type. The term “group” or“registered group” is used to describe a set of at least one primarylottery entry registered or being registered in a meta-game.

A player can receive a meta-game award based on the status of his or herregistered group. For example, in one embodiment, a player who hasregistered a group of primary lottery drawing entries qualifies for anaward in a meta-game if all of the primary lottery drawing entries inthe player's group lose in the primary lottery drawing. In otherembodiments, a meta-game operator or sponsor can establish other rulesand thresholds governing when a player qualifies for an award. Forexample, rules may be established where a player qualifies for ameta-game award if the primary lottery drawing entries in the player'sgroup fail to cumulatively win an award above a certain threshold in theprimary lottery drawing. Other variations and rules will be apparentupon reading this disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a meta-game system 10 which includes a controller 20 incommunication with a number of terminals 22, 24, 26 and 28. In apreferred embodiment, the terminals 22, 24, 26 and 28 are remotelylocated from the controller 20 to allow for distributed participation inmeta-games.

The controller 20 and the terminals 22, 24, 26 and 28 are provided tofacilitate meta-game registration and award distribution by a number ofplayers at different locations. In one embodiment, the controller 20 isrun by or on behalf of a meta-game authority or sponsor. In such anembodiment, the sponsor would manage and administer the meta-game inconjunction with the lottery sponsoring authority, such as a stategovernment. As will be discussed in more detail below, embodiments ofthe present invention permit players to register primary lottery drawingentries for a meta-game at one terminal (e.g., at the dedicated lotteryterminal where the player purchased the primary lottery drawing entries)and to receive a payout or to check the status of a meta-game at asecond terminal (e.g., at a home computer or telephone). Players mayalso use a terminal to register a group that is different from theterminal that is used to purchase the primary lottery drawing entries inthe group. Further, players may use different terminals to registerdifferent primary lottery drawing entries in a group. For example, aplayer may use a first terminal to register one primary lottery entry ina group and subsequently add a second entry to the group at a secondterminal.

The terminals 22, 24, 26 and 28 may comprise lottery terminals,computers, kiosks, telephony devices, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs),and/or handheld electronic devices which are in communication with thecontroller 20 via, for example, a public or private switched telephonenetwork, dedicated data lines, cellular, Personal Communication Systems(“PCS”), microwave, satellite networks, Internet, or any other suitableform of data communications.

Telephony devices which may be used as terminals include, for example, aVoice Response Unit (VRU) or Interactive Voice Response Unit (IVRU).Examples of IVRUs include the Vision 2001 and the Insight IVR/Web fromInteractive Voice Technologies, Corp.™. and the OmniVox for Windows® NTfrom APEX Voice Communications®. In general, an IVRU lets a user of aDTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) tone generating telephone, also knownas a “touch tone” telephone, communicate with a computer. The DTMFsignals received from a user's telephone are received and interpreted bythe IVRU. The IVRU may then transmit information to the user, such as anaudible list of IVRU menu options.

A number of different handheld electronic devices may be used as one ormore of the terminals 22-28, for example, Personal Digital Assistants(PDAs), wired or wireless telephones, one-way or two-way pagers, or thelike.

Communication between any of the terminals 22-28 and the controller 20may be direct or indirect, such as through a Web site maintained by thecontroller 20 on a remote server or over an online data networkincluding commercial on-line service providers, bulletin board systemsand the like. In yet other embodiments, a player may communicate withthe controller 20 over RF, cable TV, satellite links and the like. Forexample, the meta-game registration may be performed over a cable TVlink, such as by a television interfacing with a computer or othersimilar interface. Moreover, the computer may communicate with an outputdevice such as a printer for printing a copy of the registrationconfirmation for the meta-game, as discussed above. The output devicemay also be used to print or distribute meta-game awards, such ascoupons or certificates.

Referring now to FIG. 2, one embodiment of the controller 20 includes aprocessor 100, one or more input device(s) 106, one or more outputdevice(s) 108, a communications port 110 and a data storage device 112.The controller 20 may be implemented as a system controller, a dedicatedhardware circuit, an appropriately programmed general purpose computer,or any other equivalent electronic, mechanical or electromechanicaldevice.

The controller 20 comprises a processor 100, such as one or morePentium® microprocessors. If the processor 100 comprises a plurality ofmicroprocessors, the plurality of microprocessors may or may not operatein parallel. the processor 100 is in communication with a data storagedevice 112. The data storage device 112 comprises an appropriatecombination of magnetic, optical and/or semiconductor memory, and mayinclude Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), a compactdisc and/or a hard disk. The processor 100 and the storage device 112may each be (i) located entirely within a single computer or othercomputing device; (ii) connected to each other by a remote communicationmedium, such as a serial port cable, telephone line or radio frequencytransceiver; or (iii) a combination thereof. In one embodiment, thecontroller 20 may comprise one or more computers that are connected to aremote server computer for maintaining databases.

The data storage device 112 stores a program 120 for controlling theprocessor 100. The processor 100 performs instructions of the program120, and thereby operates in accordance with the present invention, andparticularly in accordance with the methods described in detail herein.The program 120 may be stored in a compressed, uncompiled and/orencrypted format. The program 120 furthermore includes program elementsthat may be necessary, such as an operating system, a databasemanagement system and “device drivers” for allowing the processor 100 tointerface with computer peripheral devices. Appropriate device driversand other necessary program elements are known to those skilled in theart and need not be described in detail herein.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the instructions ofthe program 120 may be read into a main memory from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as from a ROM to a RAM (not shown).Execution of sequences of the instructions in the program 120 causes theprocessor 100 to perform the process steps described herein. Inalternative embodiments, bard-wired circuitry may be used in place of,or in combination with, software instructions for implementation of theprocesses of the present invention. Thus, embodiments of the presentinvention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware andsoftware.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat directly or indirectly participates in providing instructions tothe processor 100 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms,including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, andtransmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory(DRAM), which typically constitutes the main memory. Transmission mediainclude coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including thewires that comprise a system bus coupled to the processor 100.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic, electrical orelectromagnetic waves, such as those generated during radio frequency(RF) and infrared (IR) data communications.

Some common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, afloppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any othermagnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards,paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, aPROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, acarrier wave such as electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals, orany other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor 100 forexecution. The following example illustrates the transmission ofcomputer-readable instructions via a plurality of media. Theinstructions may initially be stored on a magnetic disk of a remotecomputer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamicmemory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. Amodem local to the controller 20 can receive the instructions from thetelephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert theinstructions into an infrared signal. An infrared detector can receivethe instructions represented by the infrared signal and transmit theinstructions across a system bus to the processor 100. The system buscarries the instructions to main memory, from which the processor 100retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received bymain memory may optionally be stored elsewhere before or after executionby the processor 100.

The data storage device 112 also stores (i) a price/award database 130,(ii) a registration database 150, (iii) a player information database170, and (iv) a winning numbers database 190. The databases 130, 150,170 and 190 are described in detail below and depicted with exemplaryentries in the accompanying figures. As will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the schematic illustrations and accompanyingdescriptions of the databases presented herein are exemplaryarrangements for stored representations of information. A number ofother arrangements may be employed besides those suggested by the tablesshown. For example, the program 120 and/or data in the various databasesmay be distributed between memory of the controller 20 and memory of theterminals 22-28. Similarly, the illustrated entries of the databasesrepresent exemplary information, and those skilled in the art willunderstand that the number and content of the entries can be differentfrom those illustrated herein.

One or more input device(s) 106, such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, microphone with a voice recognition package, or IVRU package,are operable to receive input data for the controller 20. One or moreoutput device(s) 108 in the form of video displays, electro-luminescentarrays, liquid crystal display panels, printers, or functionallyequivalent devices, are operable to output information from thecontroller 20.

In one embodiment, the controller 20 operates as a central server whichboth receives and transmits communications via communications port 110with the terminals 22, 24, 26 and 28, as discussed earlier herein. Thecontroller 20 should ideally be capable of handling high volume data andtransaction processing and may be a conventional personal computer, aworkstation, a microcomputer, or other type of computation device,typically in the form of a server computer connected to a public orprivate network.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a table 132 represents one embodiment of theprice/award database 130 that may be stored at the data storage device112 (FIG. 2). The table 132 includes entries identifying price and awardrules for meta-games sponsored or operated by a lottery organization orlottery operator. The table 132 defines a number of fields 134-142 foreach entry in the table. The fields specify (i) a number of primarylottery entries registered 134, (ii) a registration price per primarylottery entry 136, (iii) a group registration price 138, (iv) anavailable award(s) 140 and (v) an optional primary lottery awardthreshold 142. This table 132 may be established by a lotteryorganization and used to determine a price of registration for eachgroup of primary lottery entries to be registered in a meta-game, and todetermine what award(s) is/are available if the group qualifies for anaward in a meta-game. Further, the table 132 may be used to determinewhen a registered group qualifies for a meta-game award (e.g., bysetting a threshold to win an award).

The number of primary lottery entries registered 134 may be, forexample, a number identifying a quantity of primary lottery entries thatmust be registered in a group to qualify for different registrationprices and/or different awards. The number of primary lottery entries134 is typically a number set by the meta-game operator or sponsor andmay be used, e.g., to encourage participants to register large groups ofprimary lottery entries. For example, a meta-game operator or sponsormay wish to provide different price and award terms for players whoregister larger groups of primary lottery entries. As depicted in theexample table 132 of FIG. 3, players may receive different price andaward terms for registering in groups of one, two, five, ten, twenty orthirty entries at a time. In some embodiments, a player may be permittedto register a group in stages. For example, a player may registerseveral primary lottery drawing entries in a first registration, andthen later add to the group by registering several additional primarylottery drawing entries. In these embodiments, the player may be given arefund or credit if the total number of primary lottery drawing entriesqualifies for a discount.

In a further embodiment, a player need not register each member of agroup at the same time. Instead, primary lottery drawing entries can beregistered at different times and from different terminals to form asingle group.

The registration price per primary lottery entry 136 may be a numberidentifying a set price for registering each primary lottery entry in ameta-game. This price may be established by the lottery operator orsponsor and can be selected to encourage participants to register groupsof primary lottery entries. For example, the registration price perentry 136 may be reduced (e.g., $0.20 vs. $0.25) for players whoregister a large group of primary lottery drawing entries (e.g., twentyor thirty vs. one or two) in a meta-game.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a player isencouraged to purchase and register a large group (e.g., five or more)of primary lottery drawing entries for a meta-game. Such a groupregistration benefits both the player and the meta-game sponsoringauthority or organization. Since the sponsor of the meta-game will beable to realize greater revenue from group sales, the sponsor willcorrespondingly be able to provide awards of greater value and selectionto the player. Furthermore, the meta-game sponsor's liability orexposure for providing awards will be limited as the player registersmore primary lottery drawing entries in a group. For example, as theplayer registers more primary lottery drawing entries in a group, theodds of entries of the group winning an award in the primary lotteryincrease, and thus the player's chances of winning a meta-game awarddecrease. Accordingly, the odds of the meta-game sponsor or authorityhaving to provide a meta-game award for the group also decrease.

In an alternative embodiment, the registration price per primary lotteryentry 136 is constant regardless of the number of primary lotterydrawing entries being registered by a player at a given time.

The group registration price per meta-game 138 identifies a total pricea player must pay to register a group of primary lottery drawing entriesfor a meta-game, and may be simply calculated by multiplying the numberof primary lottery entries registered 134 (i.e., the size of the group)by the registration price per primary lottery entry 136. Alternatively,or in addition, the group registration price per meta-game 138 mayinclude a fixed service fee or other cost imposed by the meta-gameoperator or sponsor.

The available award(s) 140 identified in the table 132 may be, forexample, an alphanumeric code or other information identifying an awardor awards available to a player who qualifies for a meta-game award. Theavailable award(s) 140 may include a choice between two or moredifferent awards (e.g., between a cash award or some alternative form ofcurrency, such as “credit points” which may be redeemed for items ofvalue). A player may be given the choice at the time of registration ormay be given the choice when claiming an award after the primary lotterydrawing. Alternatively, the controller 20 may select which award is tobe presented to a particular player, e.g., based on available inventoryor other criteria.

The amount of an award may vary based on the number of primary lotteryentries registered 134 registered as a group for a meta-game. Thisfurther allows a meta-game operator or sponsor to encourage players toregister larger groups of primary lottery entries. For example, a playerwho registers a single primary lottery entry may qualify to win a smallcash prize or number of credit points in the meta-game, while a playerwho registers larger groups of primary lottery drawing entries couldqualify to win meta-game awards of increasing value (actual orperceived). In the exemplary table 132 of FIG. 3, for example, a playerwho registers a group of five primary lottery drawing entries mayqualify for a meta-game award of $1.37 or thirty credit points while aplayer who registers a group of thirty entries could receive a largermeta-game award of $13.15 or two hundred and sixty credit points. Thesepotential awards are provided as illustrative examples; a wide varietyof awards are possible.

In one embodiment, a meta-game sponsor may establish a primary lotteryaward threshold 142 which will allow a player to win a meta-game awardeven if one or more primary lottery drawing entries of the player'sgroup qualifies for an award in the primary lottery drawing. In thisembodiment, a player could qualify for a meta-game award so long as thetotal prize won by the primary lottery drawing entries of the group inthe primary lottery does not exceed a certain threshold. The thresholdis preferably established by the meta-game sponsor. This threshold canbe a fixed value or it can vary based on different criteria. Forexample, a meta-game sponsor may establish a higher threshold for largergroups. As an example, a player registering a group of twenty primarylottery drawing entries may have a primary lottery award threshold of$5.00. That is, in order to qualify for a payout from the meta-game, thetotal primary lottery drawing payout for a player's group of twentyprimary lottery drawing entries must be less than $5.00.

In alternative embodiments, the primary lottery award threshold 142 maybe set such that a player may only win a set dollar amount per entry ina group. For example, if a player registers thirty entries in a group, athreshold of $1 per entry may be established so that the playerqualifies for a meta-game award even if entries of his group win a totalof $29 in the primary lottery drawing. As a further alternative, or inaddition, the primary lottery award threshold 142 is set based on thenumber of entries in a group that qualify for some prize in the primarylottery drawing. For example, for a group with five primary lotterydrawing entries, a meta-game sponsor may establish a threshold of twowinning primary lottery drawing entries. That is, if a player registersa group of five primary lottery drawing entries, and if three of thoseentries win some award (of any amount) in the primary lottery drawing,the player does not win an award in the meta-game based on that group.

In an alternative embodiment, the price/award database 130 may alsoinclude information such as the odds for qualifying for a meta-gameaward based on the number of primary lottery drawing entries registeredin a group. This information can be used to calculate, e.g., theregistration price per entry 136 and to set the available award(s) 140and the primary lottery award threshold 142.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a table 152 represents an embodiment of aregistration database 150 that may be stored in the data storage device112 (FIG. 2). The table 152 includes data identifying registeredmeta-game groups. This information is contained in a number of fields ofthe table 152 including the fields 154-162. These fields specify (i) agroup identifier 154 (ii) a player identifier 156, (iii) drawingidentifier(s) 158, (iv) lottery number(s) 160, and (v) an award 162. Ingeneral, the data in the registration database is used by the program120 in conjunction with the data in the price/award database 130 and theplayer information database 170 to register, control, and track thestatus of each meta-game.

The group identifier 154 may be, for example, an alphanumeric codeassociated with a particular group of primary lottery entries registeredby a player. The group identifier 154 may be a number randomly selectedby the controller 20 or may be based on information such as the player'stelephone number, credit card number, driver's license number, SocialSecurity Number, passport number, lottery card number, or the like. Theplayer identifier 156 may be, for example, an alphanumeric code uniquelyassociated with a particular meta-game participant, and may be the samecode as the group identifier 154 or may be a separately selected orgenerated number. The player identifier 156 may be based on the player'stelephone number, credit card number, driver's license number, SocialSecurity Number, passport number, lottery card number, or the like.

The table 152 also includes various data used by the program 120 (FIG.2) to ascertain whether or not a given group registered by a playerqualifies for a meta-game award. This data includes drawing identifier158 and lottery number(s) 160. In one embodiment, a group may be formedfrom primary lottery drawing entries from different primary lotterydrawings, and the table 152 may include more than one drawing identifier158 for a particular group.

The table 152 also includes data used by the program 120 to determineaward status. For example, the table 152 may include an award field 162which includes information indicating an award status of each registeredgroup. A meta-game award may be ascertained by comparing the totalnumber of lottery number(s) 160 registered in a group with the data inprice/award database 130 to ascertain a level of award for which aplayer qualifies. The award field 162 may be, e.g., an indication of thestatus of each specific meta-game such as “pending”, “not a meta-gamewinner” or a specific value or type of award if applicable.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a table 172 represents one embodiment of theplayer information database 170 that may be stored at the data storagedevice 112 (FIG. 2). The table 172 includes entries that identifyspecific meta-game players and also includes entries that track an awardaccount of those players. The table 172 defines fields 156, 174, 176,178 and 180 for the data. The fields specify (i) a player identifier156, (ii) a player name 174, (iii) a payment identifier 176, (iv) playercontact information 178, and (v) a player account balance 180. Thisinformation may be entered into player information database the firsttime that a new player registers primary lottery drawing entries in ameta-game. This information is preferably obtained from the player atthe time he or she registers one or more primary lottery drawing entriesin a meta-game (e.g., either at a point of sale device where the primarylottery entries are originally purchased as described in conjunctionwith FIG. 8 below or after purchase at a terminal connected to a lotterycontroller as described in conjunction with FIG. 9 below). In someembodiments, a player may choose to remain anonymous and only the playeridentifier 156 is used to identify the player (e.g., the player name 174and the player contact information 178 need not be provided).

The player identifier 156 may be an alphanumeric identifier uniquelyidentifying a particular player and may be identical to the playeridentifier of the table 152 in FIG. 4. The player identifier 156 may bethe player's telephone number, credit card number, driver's licensenumber, social security number, passport number, lottery card number, orthe like. Alternatively, or in addition, the player identifier 156 maybe a unique number generated by the controller 20 as each playerregisters. As a further alternative, the player identifier 156 may bethe same as the group identifier 154 (FIG. 4).

The fields 174 and 178 are optional fields containing data allowing themeta-game lottery operator or sponsor to contact a player. The paymentidentifier 176 may be, e.g., a credit card number and expiry date or anidentifier of a payment account to be debited for purchases of meta-gameentries. A player who wishes to use cash to enter meta-games would notneed to supply information for this field. Storing payment identifierdata, such as a credit card number or bank account number in the table172, streamlines the payment process for subsequent participation inmeta-games. When paying for registration in subsequent meta-games, theplayer may simply provide identifying information, such as the playeridentifier 156 to the controller 20, which retrieves the player'spayment identifier 176 from the player information database 170.

The player account balance 180 is used, in one embodiment of theinvention, to track and manage a player's meta-game award accountbalance. The player account balance 180 may contain data representing adollar value of awards accumulated by a player or may contain datarepresenting a credit value of credit points accumulated by the player.The data in player information database is used by the program 120 toidentify players and, in one embodiment, to maintain and update theplayer account balance 180.

The information in the table 172 can be used for multiple meta-games. Inone embodiment, once a player has registered for a first meta-game andprovided player information, the information need not be re-submitted toregister for future meta-games. For example, the first time a playerregisters for a meta-game, he or she may provide information including aname, contact information, and a payment identifier. The player is alsoissued or asked to provide a player identifier. When the playerregisters for future meta-games, only the player identifier need beprovided. Further, the player identifier serves to access the playeraccount balance 180 allowing meta-game players to accrue points or moneytowards the purchase of higher value awards.

In alternative embodiments, the registration database 150 and the playerinformation database 170 may be combined into a single database orfurther split into multiple databases as needed. In other embodiments,e.g., where a player account balance 180 will not be maintained, playerinformation will not be gathered. Instead, a registered group will beidentified only by a group identifier and the player informationdatabase 170 need not be referenced.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a table 192 represents an embodiment of thewinning numbers database 190 that may be stored in the data storagedevice 112. The table 192 includes data identifying a specific primarylottery drawing and the outcome of that specific primary lotterydrawing. This information is contained in a number of fields of thetable 192 including fields 194 and 196. These fields specify a drawingdate 194, and a set of winning numbers 196. In general, the data inwinning numbers database is used by the program 120 in conjunction withthe data in the registration database 150 to determine whether aspecific registered group is entitled to a meta-game award. Preferably,the information in the table 192 is updated on a regular basis to ensurethat the system has current information regarding the outcome of primarylottery drawings. Alternatively, the table 192 may be stored at aprimary lottery controller to ensure it contains accurate and currentinformation regarding the outcomes of primary lottery drawings.

In one embodiment of the present invention, all of the primary lotterydrawing entries in a group must “lose” in the primary lottery drawing to“Win” an award in the meta-game. In this embodiment, if the playerregisters, e.g., a group of two primary lottery drawing entries in ameta-game, both primary lottery drawing entries in the group must failto win an award in the primary lottery drawing before the playerqualifies for a meta-game award based on the group. This embodiment isdepicted by referring to the third record of the table 192 (FIG. 6) andthe first record of the table 152 (FIG. 4) where player1111-2222-3333-4444 registered a group (with a group identifier of1111-2222-3333-4444) of two primary lottery entries in the Dec. 30, 1999primary lottery drawing and failed to win a primary lottery award foreither of the entries. As shown in FIG. 4, the player qualified to win ameta-game award of twenty credit points, which was the award levelestablished in the price/award table 132 for a registered groupcontaining two entries.

In an alternative embodiment, to qualify a player for a meta-game award,the player's group has to fail to win an award in the primary lotterydrawing on at least one of the registered entries in the group. Forexample, if a player registers a group of four primary lottery drawingentries in a meta-game and one of the four entries matches the minimumthree out of six numbers in the primary lottery drawing (i.e., wins anaward in the primary lottery drawing), the player will not qualify towin a meta-game award based on that group.

In still another embodiment, a player may qualify to win a meta-gameaward even if one or more entries of the player's group wins an award inthe primary lottery drawing. In this embodiment a player could qualifyto win a meta-game award so long as the prize won by entries of theplayer's group in the primary lottery does not exceed a certainthreshold. The threshold is preferably set by the meta-game or primarylottery sponsor. This threshold can be a fixed value or it can varybased on different criteria. For example a meta-game sponsor mayestablish a higher threshold for large groups than for small groups.

For example, the meta-game sponsor could establish a threshold of $10for total winnings from a registered group of five primary lotterydrawing entries. In this example, the group could qualify the player fora meta-game award even if one of the primary lottery drawing entries ofthe group won $9 in the primary lottery drawing. This same thresholdcould apply if the primary lottery drawing entries of the group won acombined total of $9 (e.g., the player would qualify for a meta-gameaward if three of the five tickets of the registered group eachqualified for awards of $3 apiece from the primary lottery drawing). Asa further alternative, the threshold can be established for eachindividual registered entry. For example, a meta-game sponsor couldestablish a threshold of $3 for each registered entry in a group. If aplayer has registered five primary lottery drawing entries as a groupand qualifies for a $2 award on each of them in the primary drawing, theplayer still qualifies for a meta-game award.

The threshold at which a player qualifies for a meta-game award may beset at any prize or monetary level by the meta-game sponsor orauthority. For example, the meta-game sponsor may simply set thethreshold at the top jackpot level. In this example, a player canqualify for a meta-game award so long as none of the entries of theplayer's group has won the top jackpot in the primary lottery game. Thecriteria for receiving an award in the meta-game may vary and may bemodified as needed or desired by the meta-game sponsor or authority.

In one embodiment, the meta-game sponsor or authority may also vary thesize and/or type of awards granted to meta-game players. For example,the awards may include: credits toward free entries in a future primarylottery drawing, coupons redeemable at sponsoring establishments,merchandise, services, cash, and/or credit points toward merchandise orservices.

Frequent meta-game players may have a meta-game account established. Thebalance of this account may be tracked, e.g., in the player accountbalance field 180 of the player information database 170 (table 172 ofFIG. 5). A player's account may be credited with a certain number ofcredit points each time the player's group of primary lottery drawingentries qualifies for a meta-game award. These points may be redeemedfor merchandise awards. The player may accumulate credit points over acertain time period, for example, during a single calendar year, whichthen may be redeemed at the end of the year toward merchandise orservices. Alternatively, or in addition, the player's account may becredited with cash value which may be redeemed once it reaches a certaindollar value or as desired by the player.

As an illustrative example, a meta-game sponsor or authority mayestablish award rules where a player who has won, or accrued sufficientmeta-game award credits may select from a clock radio valued at “100”credit points, a tennis racket valued at “1,000” credit points and atelevision valued at “4,000” credit points. Each time a group registeredby the player wins an award in the meta-game, the player's accountbalance is increased by the appropriate number of credit points.Accordingly, in this example, the player would need to accumulate aminimum of “100” credit points in the account to qualify for the clockradio. Ideally, the player will register larger groups, such as ten,twenty or more primary lottery game entries for the meta-game, so thatthe player will have a chance to immediately qualify for an award, suchas the clock radio, if the player loses on each entry in the primarylottery drawing. Variables such as the amount of credit points awardedfor each meta-game award, the value of credit points, and the selectionof merchandise awards will typically be set by the lottery sponsoringauthority, such as the state, local merchants or companies that maysponsor the meta-game.

In another embodiment, each group of primary lottery drawing entriesregistered by a player which qualifies for a meta-game award may also beassigned a predetermined or arbitrary nominal cash value, such as $0.10per a winning group containing a single primary lottery entry or agraduated set of values such as $1.37 for a winning group of fiveprimary lottery entries and $3.01 for a group of ten primary lotterydrawing entries. Such monetary values, instead of credit points asdiscussed above, may be used to calculate eligibility for awards andalso allow a player to receive a cash meta-game award for a winninggroup. In this embodiment, the player may qualify for a meta-game awardvalue which may be in excess of or less than the required value forredemption of an award. For example, if the player's meta-game award isvalued at $3.01, the player may redeem for merchandise valued at $3.00,thereby leaving a leftover or excess of $0.01. This excess amount may bestored in an account maintained by the lottery sponsor (e.g., the playeraccount balance field 180 of the player information database 170). Theplayer is free then to accumulate additional value in the account byplaying additional meta-games. Ideally, fractional amounts, such as theleftover $0.01 in this example, are stored until they reach whole dollaramounts such as $1.00 at which time the player may redeem the creditsfor a meta-game award valued at the whole dollar amount.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the odds of a playerqualifying for a meta-game award are directly related to the odds oflosing in the primary lottery game. For example, as the odds of winningin the primary lottery game decrease, the odds for winning in themeta-game increase and vice versa. Specifically, in a typical 6/49 Lottotype game, the approximate odds for matching six out of six numbers isone in 13,983,816; five out of six numbers is one in 55,492; four out ofsix numbers is one in 1,033; and three out of six numbers is one infifty-seven. If a player purchases a group of five primary lotterydrawing entries, the odds of the player winning anything, e.g. matchingthree out of six numbers, will be approximately 9%, while the odds ofthe player qualifying for a meta-game award will be approximately 91%.Correspondingly, as the player buys more tickets to the primary lotterygame, the chances of the player qualifying for a meta-game awarddecrease.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an overview of one embodiment of a meta-gameprocess according to the present invention is shown. According to oneembodiment of the invention, a player first purchases at least oneprimary lottery drawing entry (step 210). This purchase may beaccomplished, e.g., at a conventional lottery terminal which may be at aconvenience store, supermarket, drugstore, lottery outlet or otherestablishment which has been authorized by, for example, a state'slottery commission to sell lottery entries. The primary lottery entry(s)may be entries to any type of lottery drawing.

Once the player has purchased at least one primary lottery drawingentry, the player registers for a meta-game (step 212). Thisregistration process, which will be described in more detail inconjunction with FIGS. 8 and 9, establishes or updates information inthe registration database 150 and the player information database 170(see FIGS. 4 and 5). As will be discussed, a player will typicallyregister a group of primary lottery drawing entries in a meta-game. Theplayer may register the entire group from a single terminal or mayregister primary lottery drawing entries in the group from differentterminals and at different times.

After the primary lottery drawing has been held (step 214), thecontroller 20 performs a meta-game award analysis (step 216) todetermine which registered groups have won meta-game awards.Alternatively, this analysis may be performed on an individual groupbasis when a player attempts to redeem an award or when a playercontacts the controller 20 to verify if a group registered by a playerhas qualified for a meta-game award. This meta-game award analysis willbe described in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 10.

Each meta-game concludes, for example, with a distribution of meta-gameawards (if any) (step 218). Award distribution may include a variety offorms of distribution. For example, awards may be distributed by:providing an award directly to the player (e.g., as cash, coupon, ormerchandise), crediting a player account with the value of the award ineither credits or cash value, shipping the award to the player (e.g., asa check, coupon, or merchandise), etc. This award distribution processis described in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 11.

Referring now to FIG. 8, one embodiment of a player registration processis shown. In this embodiment, a player purchases one or more primarylottery drawing entries and registers those entries as a group in ameta-game during a single transaction session. In this embodiment, aplayer visits a lottery terminal or lottery outlet to purchase at leastone entry in a primary lottery drawing. The controller 20 receives theplayer's request via a lottery terminal for at least one primary lotteryentry (step 220). The player is then given the option to register atleast one primary lottery entry as a group (step 222). If the playerchooses not to register at least one primary lottery entry as ameta-game group, the transaction is processed as a conventional lotteryentry transaction (step 224) and no meta-game is established for thatplayer (i.e,. the player wins an award only if the entry wins an awardin the primary lottery drawing).

If, however, the player does choose to proceed and to register at leastone primary lottery drawing entry as a meta-game group, the processcontinues to step 226 where the player is asked to provide meta-gameregistration information to the controller 20 (step 226). The amount ofregistration information provided may vary. For example, a player maywish to register several primary lottery drawing entries as a group in ameta-game yet also wish to remain anonymous. In this case, no playerinformation will be provided in the registration step, and the onlyinformation transmitted to the controller 20 will be a list of theprimary lottery drawing entries in the group and a drawing identifierfor the group (typically a date of the primary lottery drawing).

As another example, where the player does not wish to remain anonymousor where the player has already established or wants to establish aplayer account (field 180 of FIG. 5) more registration information maybe provided at this step 226. For example, the player may provide his orher name and contact information. Further, where the player knows or hasbeen assigned a player identifier (field 156 of FIG. 5), the playeridentifier may also be provided in this step. Each of these pieces ofinformation received during registration step 226 are stored inappropriate fields of the registration database 150 and the playerinformation database 170.

This registration information is used to determine a group registrationprice (step 228). In one embodiment, the number of primary lotteryentries registered by the player is compared with data from theprice/award database 130 (table 132 of FIG. 3) to arrive at a totalgroup registration price. In another embodiment, the controller 20retrieves a pre-calculated price for the number of entries beingregistered in a database. In one embodiment of the present invention,the price is determined wholly of partially at the lottery terminal atwhich the registration is taking place.

The registration information is then used to determine an awardavailability for the meta-game (step 230). In one embodiment, the numberof primary lottery entries in the group being registered by the playeris compared with data from the price/award database 130 (table 132 ofFIG. 3) to determine available awards for the group. This informationmay be communicated to the player through the lottery terminal and may,in one embodiment, permit the player to select between alternative ormultiple awards.

Once registration information has been received, a meta-gameregistration price has been calculated, and award availability has beenestablished, a registration price or payment information for themeta-game is received (step 232). In one embodiment, where the playerhas previously established a player identifier and has previouslyprovided payment information, this step may simply entail seekingconfirmation from the player that the player wishes to use pre-storedpayment information (e.g., a credit card number stored in the table172). Alternatively, the player may be prompted to enter paymentinformation to pay for the meta-game registration price. As a furtheralternative, at an attended lottery terminal or at a lottery terminalwith an ability to receive cash payments, the player may choose to paythe registration price with cash. In a further embodiment, a player whohas a credit balance in player account (field 180 of FIG. 5) may begiven the option to apply that balance to cover the meta-gameregistration price. Further, the credit balance may also be used tocover the price of registration for the primary lottery drawing.

In one embodiment, the player pays for both the primary lottery drawingentry(s) and the meta-game registration price at the same time. It ispossible, however, that payment for the primary lottery drawing entry(s)and the meta-game could be processed separately, for example, in thecase where the primary lottery drawing and meta-game are administered byseparate organizations.

At the completion of registration, a confirmation is issued to theplayer indicating that he/she is registered in a meta-game (step 234).This confirmation may come in any of a number of forms, for example, theplayer's entry ticket to the primary lottery drawing may serve asconfirmation. Alternatively, a separate confirmation may be printed bythe lottery terminal (e.g., a meta-game receipt or ticket) or may simplybe displayed to the player on a display device. In one embodiment, thelottery terminal outputs a confirmation ticket or receipt which maycontain information such as the date of the primary lottery drawing forwhich the group is entered, the group identifier of the registeredgroup, the number of entries in the group, the amount paid for themeta-game, award options and other relevant information. Suchconfirmation information may also be printed directly or affixed to theplayer's primary lottery ticket(s). Promotional advertising may also beprovided on the confirmation, which may include advertising from themeta-game sponsor or lottery sponsoring organization. Other forms ofconfirmation may also be used; for example, the controller 20 may issuean e-mail or telephone confirmation to the player (if the playerprovided an e-mail address or telephone number as part of identifyinginformation during the registration process), etc.

The embodiments shown and described above in conjunction with FIG. 8provide players with the opportunity to register a group of primarylottery entries for a meta-game concurrently (or in the same session)with the purchase of those entries. It is contemplated that in somesituations, players will want to register a group of primary lotteryentries for the meta-game after having already purchased those entries.In such a situation, the player will have the opportunity to registerfor the meta-game in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention as shown and described below in conjunction with FIG. 9.

In the registration embodiment described in conjunction with FIG. 9, aplayer may register already-purchased primary lottery entries in ameta-game. This registration may occur from any of a variety of types ofterminals (items 22-28 of FIG. 1) such as a computer, PDA, wired orwireless telephone, lottery terminal, etc. The registration process ofFIG. 9 starts when a player operating an terminal establishescommunication with the controller 20 (step 320).

Once the player has established communication with the controller 20,the player submits meta-game registration information to the thecontroller (step 322). This registration information includesinformation identifying a group of primary lottery entry(s) and, in oneembodiment, player identifying information. This information may besubmitted to the controller 20, for example, by inputting theinformation into an online HyperText Markup Language (HTML) form using akeyboard and then transmitting the information using HyperText TransferProtocol (HTTP), for example, via an HTML form using the HTML “POST”command, through the browser software to the controller 20.

Upon receipt of this information, the controller 20 performs a firstcheck to verify that the primary lottery entry(s) are valid (step 324).In particular, the controller 20 ensures that the lottery drawing forthe primary lottery entry(s) has not already occurred. If the lotterydrawing has already occurred, the player is informed that the entry(s)cannot be entered as a group in a meta-game. The player may then begiven the option to register a different group of primary lotterydrawing entries.

Once at least one primary lottery entry has been determined to be valid,program 120 accesses registration database (table 152 of FIG. 4) andlocates or creates a new group record (step 326). If the player hasalready started a group, the player can add to the group at this time byproviding the group identifier (field 154 of FIG. 4) to reference thealready-established group. Further, if the player has previouslyregistered for meta-games and has a player identifier (field 156 of FIG.5), the player may also provide his or her player identifier to retrieveplayer information from player information database 170. Alternatively,a new player record can be established at this time if the player wantsto provide details such as a player name or contact information or ifthe player wishes to establish a player account (items 174, 178 and 180respectively, of FIG. 5). Program 120 then operates to storeregistration information in the registration database and the playerinformation database (items 150 and 170 of FIG. 2). For example, thegroup identifier (either newly generated or retrieved from table 152),drawing identifier, and primary lottery number(s) are entered intoregistration database at this time (fields 154, 158, and 160 of table152 respectively).

In one embodiment, where the player uses a terminal to log onto a Webpage maintained by the controller 20, the controller 20 mayautomatically detect the identity of the player, for example, by using a“cookie” stored on the terminal (e.g., on a personal computer of thecustomer). Such a cookie is a block of data that a Web server (e.g. thethe controller 20) stores on a client system (e.g. a player's terminal).When a user returns to the same Web site, the browser of the playerterminal sends a copy of the cookie back to the Web server. Cookies maybe used to identify players, to instruct the Web server to send acustomized version of a Web page, to submit account information for theplayer, and for other administrative purposes. The “cookie” identifiesthe player to the controller 20 once the player establishes acommunication with the controller 20.

The program 120 then operates to access the price/award database (table132 of FIG. 3) to determine a group registration price (step 328) andestablish an award for the meta-game (step 330). For example, if theplayer is registering a group of five primary lottery entries in themeta-game, the program 120 will look up the appropriate price in theprice/award database 130 and determine, e.g., that the groupregistration price for the meta-game will be $1.25 and that the playerwill be eligible to win a cash award of $1.37 or 30 credit points. Thisinformation can then be used to update registration database 150 (table152 of FIG. 4).

Once a group registration price for the meta-game has been established,the player is prompted to enter payment information to pay the groupregistration price (step 332). In one embodiment, where the player haspreviously established a player identifier and has previously providedpayment information, this step may simply entail seeking confirmationfrom the player that the player wishes to use pre-stored paymentinformation (e.g., a credit card number stored in table 172).Alternatively, the program 120 may prompt the player to enter paymentinformation to pay for the group registration price. As a furtheralternative, at an attended lottery terminal or at a terminal with anability to receive cash payments, the player may choose to pay the groupregistration price with cash. In a further embodiment, a player who hasa credit balance in the player account 180 (FIG. 5) may be given theoption to apply that balance to cover the group registration price.

After the player has paid the group registration price, registration iscomplete and the controller 20 issues a confirmation message to theplayer (step 334). Confirmation may be provided in the form of ameta-game receipt or ticket printed by the terminal. In one embodiment,the terminal will output a confirmation ticket or receipt which maycontain information such as the date of the primary lottery drawing forwhich the group is registered, the number of entries in the group, theamount paid for the group registration, award options and other relevantinformation. Promotional advertising may also be provided on theconfirmation, which may include advertising from the meta-game sponsoror lottery sponsoring organization. Other forms of confirmation may alsobe used; for example, the controller 20 may issue an e-mail or telephoneconfirmation to the player (if the player provided an e-mail address ortelephone number as part of identifying information during theregistration process), etc.

Once the player has properly registered a group for the meta-game (usingeither the registration embodiment of FIG. 8 or FIG. 9), the playerwaits for the occurrence of the primary lottery drawing for whichentries of his or her group is registered. Referring now to FIG. 10, aprocess is shown by which a meta-game award analysis may be performedaccording to an embodiment of the present invention

In one embodiment, the controller 20 receives primary lottery drawingresults (step 352) on a regular basis (e.g., daily). These primarylottery drawing results may be provided to the controller 20 inelectronic format via, e.g., the Internet, magnetic tape, or other meansfrom the primary lottery drawing operator or sponsor. For example, ifthe primary lottery drawing is held nightly, primary lottery drawingresults may be transmitted to the controller 20 via the Internet or aproprietary network shortly after the primary lottery drawing resultsare known. In particular, the primary lottery results transmitted to thecontroller 20 preferably contain information such as that depicted inFIG. 6 (the winning numbers database 190), such as the drawingidentifier 194 and the winning numbers 196.

Once the controller 20 receives this information, the registrationdatabase 150 (table 152 of FIG. 4) is accessed to identify relevantmeta-games (step 354). A relevant meta-game is a meta-game whichincluded primary lottery entries from the primary lottery drawingidentified by the drawing identifier 158 (table 152 of FIG. 4).

After identifying relevant meta-games, the program 120 operates todetermine (for each relevant meta-game) if an award was earned in theprimary lottery drawing for any of the groups of registered primarylottery drawing entries (step 356). This is accomplished by comparingthe updated information stored in the winning number field 198 of thewinning numbers database 190 (FIG. 6) with meta-game registrationinformation stored in the registration database 150 (table 152 of FIG.4).

If it is determined that a primary lottery drawing award was earned byprimary lottery drawing entry(s) of a group, the process continues tostep 358 to determine whether the primary lottery drawing award whichwas earned by entry(s) of the group was below a set threshold. Asdiscussed above, in some embodiments, a player may qualify for ameta-game award based on a group, even if entries of the group also wonan award in the primary lottery drawing. Lottery operators or sponsorsmay establish thresholds defining when a group can win a meta-game awardin this situation. In step 358, it is determined whether any suchthresholds have been established for a given registration by examiningfields of the price/award database 130 (table 132 of FIG. 3). If nothreshold has been established, the player does not qualify for ameta-game award based on the group (step 360).

If a threshold has been established, the primary lottery drawing awardis compared with the established threshold. If the primary lotterydrawing award is below the established threshold, processing continuesto step 362 to determine what type or amount of meta-game award has beenearned by a player based on a particular group.

If it is determined that no award was won in the primary lottery drawingfor a given meta-game group, or if it is determined that the primarylottery drawing award qualifies because it was below an establishedthreshold, the process proceeds to step 362 where the price/awarddatabase 130 is accessed to identify an award. For example, if a playerhas registered a group of five primary lottery drawing entries in ameta-game and failed to qualify for an award on any of them in theprimary lottery, the program 120 will look up the appropriate record inthe price/award database 130 and determine that the player qualifies fora meta-game award of either thirty credit points or a cash award of$1.37. In one embodiment, the controller 20 will select which of thealternative awards are to be issued to the player. In anotherembodiment, the player may be given a choice between the availableawards.

The award analysis finishes when appropriate databases are updated (step364). For example, award information may be written to the award field162 in the registration database 150 (table 152 FIG. 4). Alternatively,or in addition, if a player has qualified for a cash or point award, theaward may be automatically credited to the player identificationdatabase 170 (e.g., by updating the data in the player account balancefield 180).

Once the player has determined that he/she qualifies for an award in themeta-game, for example by watching the primary lottery drawing ontelevision, obtaining the winning numbers from a newspaper or magazine,logging onto a web page maintained by the lottery authority or othersimilar ways, the player may submit or redeem a meta-game registrationfor an award. In one embodiment, rather than performing an awardanalysis on all groups on periodic intervals, the meta-game awardanalysis (step 216 of FIG. 7) is performed only when a player attemptsto collect a meta-game award. For example, the award analysis may beperformed when a player, believing that he or she won a meta-game award,contacts the controller 20 using a terminal to collect the award.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a process by which a player redeemsa meta-game registration for a meta-game award. In this embodiment, theplayer accesses the controller 20 via a terminal 22-28. The player firstsubmits at least one meta-game group identifier (field 154 of FIG. 4) tothe controller 20 (step 402). This may be accomplished by simplyproviding the group identifier to the terminal 22-28. The terminal maybe a lottery terminal of the operator-assisted variety where a lotteryterminal operator will assist in processing the entry or may be aself-serve lottery terminal which has, e.g., a keyboard for entering thegroup identifier or a scanner for reading information from, e.g., areceipt.

The group identifier is then used by the program 120 at controller 20 todetermine if a particular meta-game group has qualified a player for ameta-game award (step 404). This step is performed using the groupidentifier 154 to retrieve data from the award field 162 of theregistration database 150 (table 152 of FIG. 4) (if the award analysisprocess of FIG. 10 has been performed). If the award analysis of FIG. 10had not been performed, the step of determining if a player hasqualified for a meta-game award is performed using the group identifier154 to retrieve information about the player's registered groupincluding the drawing identifier(s) 158 and the lottery number(s) 160.Each of the primary lottery drawing entry numbers of the group are thencompared with data from the winning numbers database 190 to determine ifthe qualified for a meta-game award. A player may have qualified forboth a meta-game award and a primary lottery drawing award if an awardthreshold was established for the group as described above.

If the player did not qualify for a meta-game award in the meta-game,e.g., if the player has matched three or more numbers in the primarylottery drawing and the award exceeded any meta-game threshold, thelottery entry may then be redeemed for a prize in the primary lotterygame (step 406) This may be accomplished at the same lottery terminalduring a single transaction session.

If the player has qualified for a meta-game award, the player is issueda meta-game award (step 408). The manner of issuance depends, e.g., onthe type of award earned. For example, if a player has qualified for amonetary or point award, the award may be credited directly to theplayer's account 180 in the player information database 170 (table 172of FIG. 5) or it may be paid out directly to the player. If e.g., aplayer has qualified for a coupon or certificate as an award, the couponor certificate may be printed directly at the terminal or may be mailedor delivered to the player at a later time. In some embodiments, aplayer may have several awards from which to choose and may do so atstep 408.

In other embodiments, where an award analysis has already been performedas described in FIG. 10, the player may obtain an award in the meta-gamesimply by presenting some personal identifying information, such as aplayer identifier, credit card number or driver's license number. Uponreceipt of this information, the controller 20 can query theregistration database and winning numbers database to determine if theplayer is a winner of the meta-game and to determine what type of anaward has been won.

The process steps of the present invention may also be implemented on anInteractive Voice Response Unit (IVRU) or similar system which isresponsive to Dual-tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) tones and/or signalsrecognizes speech. In such a system, the player may dial a meta-gamelottery telephone number, such as an 800#, 877#, 888# or 900# number andinteract with the controller 20. The controller 20 may be attended by anactual operator or the player may be prompted by the IVRU. The IVRU mayprompt the player for his or her identification, which the player mayenter into the keypad of the telephone. The player's identification iscommunicated to the controller 20 which checks, for example, theregistration database to determine if the player is a recognizedparticipant. If not, the player may register with the controller 20,again via the telephone keypad or voice recognition system. Once theplayer is verified, the IVRU prompts the player for meta-gameinformation, such as their primary lottery drawing entry identifyinginformation. The player enters his primary lottery drawing entryidentifying numbers into the telephone. The controller 20 checks theinformation to determine, for example, whether the entries have expiredand whether the entries are eligible for the meta-game. If the entriesare valid, the controller 20 checks to determine if the player has anexisting credit in their account, has pre-paid for the meta-game, and/orowes a registration price for the meta-game. It is anticipated thatpayment for the meta-game may also be made through an advance accountarrangement where the player pre-pays or is billed a certain price onsome prescribed basis, such as a monthly debit to a credit card account.If a registration price is required, the IVRU prompts the player forpayment, such as a credit card number. The player may enter the creditcard number into the telephone or simply speak the credit card numberinto the telephone receiver in the case of a voice recognition system.The validity of the credit card may then be checked in a primary manner.If the credit card is valid, the player is then registered for themeta-game. The player may then be issued a confirmation for themeta-game, in the form of an identification number. Award redemption mayalso be provided via the IVRU whereby the player may provide ticketidentifying information over the telephone, which is then processed bythe controller 20. The controller 20 may then credit the player's creditcard with the award or alternatively, the player may have a creditaccount which earns credit points toward merchandise as discussedearlier herein.

The present invention has been shown and described in what areconsidered to the most practical and preferred embodiments. It isanticipated, however, that departures can be made therefrom and thatobvious modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art.

1. A method of operating a supplementary lottery drawing, the methodcomprising the steps of: registering a plurality of lottery entries todefine a group; and providing a secondary award if the plurality oflottery entries of the group fail to win an award above a predeterminedthreshold in the lottery drawing. 2-46. (canceled)